Hi Pandi, thank you for joining us. Firstly, you are from Tulehu which, despite only being a small village in Indonesia’s Maluku Province, is an area well known for developing good footballers. What role has Tulehu played in your development?

PL: Yes Tulehu has really helped me a lot because Tulehu’s football culture is very deep-rooted. I have been playing football ever since I was a kid.

It was very hard to believe I was going to play for Indonesia’s biggest club

Could you tell us about your early progress from Piala Suratin (a junior club tournament) through to Cilegon United in the second tier of Indonesian football?

PL: I was in a soccer school when Maluku called me for Piala Suratin. In 2013 I played for Persijatim (my first professional club), then moved to play for Perserang.

In 2014 I went to Cilegon and then Persija.

What would you say is your best footballing moment so far?

PL: My best moment was when I joined Persija. It was very hard to believe I was going to play for Indonesia’s biggest club.

Pandi in action with PS TNI

After the FIFA ban on Indonesian football you made another move, this time to PS TNI. You performed well on a personal note in 2016, with two goals and three assists in your 20 matches, but the club finished last in ISC A. What do you think happened?

PL: I’m not sure. I think that at the end we just lacked communication and focus as a team.

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PL: (Still) not good enough. I think I still have a lot to learn. I just hope that this year is better than the previous years.

Who do you credit the most for your development as a footballer so far?

PL: My coaches, of course, those who have coached me since I was still in soccer school right through until I made it to the professional clubs. They have all played a part.

So nobody special?

PL: [Laughs], no, because I think that everyone who has coached me is special and played their part.

You competed against some neighbouring countries in the 2016 AFF Under-19 championship. How do you rate Indonesia’s under-19 team compared to other ASEAN teams?

PL: I think there are some differences. We are being left behind a little compared to some of the other Southeast Asian teams, Thailand for example. I think it has something to do with the quality of our young players’ development.